This has been my first time back on Sparkpeople for a few months. I was having what I thought was a pretty good summer from a fitness perspective and was once again active and interacting with my Spark friends...........and THEN....

For those wondering what happened...i will briefly explain. I began having some pain in my lower back. The pain initially was not that bad, but progressively got worse. It began to move down my left leg and then I could notice my left leg was experiencing weakness. It worsen to the point that I found myself in the ER and then with an appointment with my Primary Care doc.......0nly to be referred to a neurosurgeon once the MRI was reviewed.

A herniated disk was the diagnosis.....the docs have been surprised that I was doing the things I was doing. They gave me two options...an epidural shot or surgery. My first thought was to at least TRY to epidural, but mind you, this came to me, the day before news broke of the epidural/meningitis outbreak. They said it is safe, but I was still unsure about that one. Add that to the fact that I have spoke with several of my friends that are docs and chiropractors and the surgery is basically inevitable........THUS..I will be having surgery in 3 weeks.

I understand completely that back injuries and recovery are very dependent on strength of your trunk(back AND stomach) muscles. I also want to be as light as possible for continued recovery. The wife and I laid out a plan starting today that will move throughout my recovery. This pain has been rough the last few months, so I am somewhat nervous, but look forward to some relief and getting back to the gym!

Stay Determined, Stay Committed, and Stay Consistent